State police said Pamela Haselton was photographing the aircraft when she tried to move a tripod from its path.
WILMINGTON, N.Y. — A 67-year-old woman was killed after a small vintage airplane struck her Friday afternoon at a private airfield in Essex County as she tried to move a tripod-mounted camera from the aircraft’s path, New York State Police said.
Pamela M. Haselton of Wilmington was pronounced dead at Catalano Airfield after lifesaving efforts were attempted at the scene. Police said the incident happened at about 3:47 p.m. Nov. 6 after a 1943 Aeronca L3 had landed and was taxiing toward a hangar. State Police, the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the circumstances of the fatal incident.
The aircraft was being operated by James J. Catalano, 77, also of Wilmington, according to police. Investigators said the single-engine, two-seat plane had completed its landing before the collision and was moving on the ground toward the hangar.
Police said Haselton had positioned a camera on a tripod on the runway while photographing the aircraft. As the plane approached the camera, investigators said, she attempted to move the tripod out of its path. Catalano did not see Haselton or the camera before the aircraft struck her, according to State Police.
The collision occurred at Catalano Airfield on Hazelton Road in the town of Wilmington, an Adirondack community in Essex County. Federal aviation records identify Catalano Airfield as a private-use airport in Wilmington. Because the plane had already landed, the investigation is focused on an incident that occurred while the aircraft was moving on the airfield rather than during flight.
Authorities have not announced a final determination about what caused the collision or whether any additional factors contributed to it. No findings assigning responsibility had been released as of Monday. Police also had not announced any criminal charges in connection with the incident.
The involvement of State Police and the two federal aviation agencies means the circumstances can be examined from both law-enforcement and aviation-safety perspectives. Officials have not released details about the expected timetable for completing those reviews or whether investigators plan to issue additional findings publicly.
Haselton was a Wilmington resident with an interest in photography, including Adirondack landscapes and wildlife. Local reporting said her work had been displayed earlier this year at the Wilmington E. M. Cooper Memorial Public Library. Her death brought attention to what began as a photography session involving a historic aircraft and ended in a fatal collision on the runway.
The Aeronca L3 involved in the incident dates to 1943, according to police. Authorities described it as a single-engine, two-seat aircraft. Investigators have not released information indicating that the aircraft experienced a mechanical problem before the collision, and police said it had successfully landed before taxiing toward the hangar.
The investigation remained ongoing Monday. State Police said they are working with the FAA and NTSB, and no final account of the factors that led to Haselton’s death had been announced.
Author note: Last updated November 9, 2026.